Manuel V wrote:I'm 72 kg (159 lbs) and want to buy a V3 sector my first option is the 54 to use it as light wind board and when the wind goes up a little use the board for more fun like carving, speed, etc etc.. I have 10M and 14M lithium kites.

I know that low end to go upwind depends on each rider technique but based on your experience with the 14M how much knots I need to goes upwind on the 54 board? 8-10 knots would be ok?Now I have a north nugget and I can't go upwind at 8-10 knots.

I think that your stipulation of going upwind as your primary concern may be of issue on the 54 with the three carver fins supplied. Certainly the board is the most impressive freerace board I have used when it comes to higher wind carving, control and and speed, but for dedicated lightwind bragging rights it will not go as early as you would want. The solution would be to get a 4 fin setup for it. The board does not carve as well on 4 fins, or feel as fast through the water, but it will point upwind and drive in much lighter winds, and with your lighter weight I'd think it would not be far off the performance of a 10kg+ rider on the 60.

Manuel V wrote:If instead of the 54 I buy the V3 60 probably it would be more harder to carve or make transtitions when is 15-18 knots (using the 10M)?

This I honestly do not know - the 60 arrives in the UK next week and as soon as I can I will try the other two sizes, but for now I can only offer a comparison to the V2. There is also the added options of the different fin types and placements which has a big effect on the board, so it's a lot more complicated than it was last year.. ie..is a 60V3 with carver fins in better than a 54 with 4 fins in? It will be interesting, but these are answers I will have to find for the UK market, as I think they will be asked a lot in the coming season. [/quote]

Manuel V wrote:My concern on buy a 60 is that I really don't want to buy a board to mainly use it to go back and forward when the wind is low and them when the wind is 15+ knots the board would be to much for my weight.

That's true, and while I would say that for your weight the 54 would be my recommendation (it pays to be lighter in kiteboarding) I read further in the post that you have a 5'8" choptop. The choptop is a VERY good surfboard for upwind and early planing as well as straight line stability, so for higher wind carving you'll have a choice.. and if there is enough wind to take the CT 5'8, I'd be tempted onto that pretty early as it is a VERY good board.

Manuel V wrote:I also see the choptop 5'8" as a plan B.

At 71kg, with the 14 and a sector 60 you would be the first to get going, and still enjoy very good handling - The 60 is a lot of fun still and the 14m you have is also very fast and forward turns extremely well... It is my tested and favourite light wind setup...

with your 5'8 choppie as the next board down, I'd say it was a very good gap to have, so my instinct is to say go 60 and then drop to CT.

I decide to buy one board for light wind and I was between the sector 54 and the choptop 5'8"I don't have a choptop, I have that board as a plan B to purchase.

I forget to mention that my original plan is to buy the 54 with the spare 4 fin set up.But after your comments I confirm that the best option is keep my plan of buy the 54 with 2 fin setups.

After buy and use the sector 54 and see how works for me I would go to select a dedicated kite surfboard (for small waves and 15 to 20 knots) and the choptop is on my list but probably smaller than 5'8".

Hey William, Pretty sure they are arriving any day. Don't quote me, I'll know for sure tomorrow. But I heard rumors of almost selling out before arrival, so if you haven't placed your order than do so asap.

lbebere wrote:Hi guys

I am 115kg (260 lbs) with a 16m, 14m and 10m. Should i get the 60 or 66. I am intermediate, just looking for lightwind cruising (no hardcore race or topspeed) ?

I have a Crazyfly LW 153cm, but too small for me in lightwind !

Tks

The 66 hands down! Your weight will feel extremely comfortable under the 66 size and, based on your size, i think you can maneuver the board just as well as any 85 kg on a 60! You might even dump that 16m or go out in less wind than you thought was possible with what you have now.

We have our order in for V3 Sectors but they have not started shipping to dealers yet. Last I heard from Airush, they were still a couple of weeks away. If I remember right, they were originally scheduled for mid-April. The first shipment is completely sold out from Airush, but some dealers haven't pre-sold all their boards.

We have had our V3 delivery in at 24-7 Boardsports. I've gone from my V2 60 to a V3 66 - I'm 78kg & currently fly Rally 12 & 8m. This is copy pasta from my initial review over on kiteboarder.co.uk:

"Got out on the 66 for the first session this morning. Conditions weren't ideal but good for a test - flukey NNE 6-12 knots, bit of chop & lots of tide in roughly the same direction as the wind. Plenty of positives to report on the performance - Firstly & most importantly, its still very well mannered (like a Sector should be) and easy to ride quickly on all points of sail. New deck shaping on the foot positions is good & stops the leg burn. The extra volume gets you through the lulls nicely & makes tacking easier as its just floatier! It feels like there is less drag (less fins) & it rides much flatter (less cant) than the V2 - it feels quick once the wind comes up

Going to a trifin setup, with less cant, has made the board feel a bit looser. The V2 60 went along like it was on rails & it was up to the rider to make it turn. The V3 66 with three fins is more responsive & easier to initiate a turn on, but you have to pay more attention to holding a course. You also have to pay a bit more attention to how you load the fins. On the V2 you could just pile pressure on the fins with your back foot & it would go. The V3 66 has a much more even foot weighting to get it going nicely. Once you adjust your technique & get your foot pressure right it flies "

The price increase on the V3 also makes the V2 60 look like a pretty good deal now. GBP £699 against £849 for the 60.

Thought you might like to see this pic if you wondered how a V2 60 went in a bit more wind! This is the upwind leg from last weeks course racing. Wind is about 20-25 knots kite sizes are 8-10m. Three of the boards in this pic are V2 60s & they absolutely fly off the wind & on the reach

Great new selection of boards on the Sector V3.Im 71 kilos and im undecided on buying a specific light wind or spend the same amount of money and buy a big a$$ sector!!!My first thought is a Epic infinity 15 to enjoy light wind but i have to rely on the general hype because i cant demo.My second choice is a sector 60 or a sector 66.Both options cost me about $1500would it be to much overkill to buy the v3 66 to use with a 12m best nemesis and have the ultimate light wind setup? can i expect 8-10 knots on this gear? i can moan the lawn and hold my ground with my 12m in a 135 x 47 on 12- 14 knots but thats not fun!Ive never used a directional race board so im on the fence.Can you guys pitch inn?the only sure thing is that boards tend to last more than kites!Thanks in advance!

It would be good to hear about how the V3 60 handles with the surf fin setup.

Also, does anyone know if the straps have changed on the V3?

The only thing wrong with the v2 is the completely useless strap adjuster buckles. The buckles provide hardly any adjustment, are really hard to get any movement through, and the pull loops come off after 2-3 attempts at adjustment.

It is a shame that such a great board can have such a crap fitting. The straps are good but forget about any minor adjustment or tuning without a screw driver.